Daily Times

Sukkur is the third largest city of Sindh with a long history of historical monuments and mesmerising buildings. The weather there is extremely hot during the summer time and cold and dry during the winters. In the north, the city borders with Shikarpur and Kashmor, Kandhkot. Ghotki lies in its north-eastern side while in the south it`s border touches with that of Khairpur.

There are many historic places which are located in Sukkur like Arorh, Shah Kheruddin`s shrine, Island of Bakhar, Minaret of Masoom Shah, Lab-e-Mehran and Sadhu Belo, reminding us that many ironic figures ruled over Sukkur, from Alexander to Muhammad bin Qasim; from the Talpurs and to the British.

The influence of the British era is felt strongly in Sukkur as the city prospered under British rule, taking glory away from historical towns of Larkana and Shikarpur.

Locus Park located in Sukkur is a fine example of this era. It was created back in the 40s and was later renamed as Muhammad Bin Qasim Park; after the 8th Century Muslim conqueror who conquered Sindh, Multan along with Indus River for the Umayyad Caliphate. This park is divided into two parts, the smaller one is for children and the larger part consists of a running track, benches, garden etc.

The park is located near Masoom Shah Minaret at just a distance of 200 yards. Presently it is surrounded by shopping plazas. Once this park had everything that tourists and even locals wanted but with the passage of time its beauty has been destroyed by the district administration and municipality as they didn’t show any interest in its maintenance. Heaps of garbage and construction material can be seen littered everywhere

A few locals revealed that the park used to be a favourite hangout of children and old citizens, but since the municipality ignored its maintenance, many card-playing individuals have turned it into a haven of gambling. Moreover, drug addicts sit by the boundary of the park, which causes a bad impact on children. These gamblers and drug addicts also urinate in the park’s vicinity, makes the area dirty and unhygienic.

I request Sukkur City’s deputy commissioner, senior superintendent of police and other higher ups to take quick and effective steps in order to tackle the above mentioned problems. Lastly, I also request the district administration to rename the park with its original name “Locus Park” so history can be preserved for the upcoming generations.

The writer is a social and political activist based in Lahore. He has done his Masters and MPhil in Communication Studies. He can be reached at salmanali088@gmail.com and tweets @Salmani_salu

Published in Daily Times, December 18^th 2018.